The invention relates to multi-function printers. More particularly, the invention relates to document control of multi-function printers.
Multi-function printers are known in the art. These devices combine a printer and a scanner in a single housing. The printer is typically an inkjet printer, though some such multi-function devices include a laser printer. They thus take up less desktop space than separate printers and scanners, so are popular for home use or low volume office use. Because of the desirability of minimizing the size of such devices, only a minimal number of basic functions can be accessed using a control panel on the device itself. A large number of functions can only be accessed using a computer that is coupled to the device. Further, it may be desirable to omit the control panel altogether. U.S. Pat. No. 5,896,206 to Kellogg (incorporated herein by reference) discloses a multi-function printer.
Devices falling into this category also include, for example, the OfficeJet series (e.g. OfficeJet 500, 600, 630, 700, etc.) sold by Hewlett-Packard Company. Such devices include a small LCD display and a keypad with which phone numbers can be entered for sending faxes, and with which copies can be made, without need for the device to be coupled with and controlled by a computer. Other functions that can be performed using the keypad can include, for example, power on/off, auto answer on/off (to receive incoming faxes), speed dial, redial/pause, and contrast/resolution adjust. On the other hand, a rich assortment of additional features can be accessed and controlled by an attached computer. Using a graphical user interface on the attached computer, a user can, for example, select fax numbers from an address book, set up a fax for future transmission, reduce/enlarge, turn collating on or off, adjust contrast, adjust print quality, select when an image is scanned in color or black and white, select optimization for scanning of text, photos, graphics, or other, select printing landscape or portrait, select whether to include a cover page in a fax, select whether received faxes are directed to the printer or to the computer, select whether faxes are reduced automatically to loaded paper size, adjust resolution, select number of rings before answering an incoming phone call, forward a fax, add/change/delete speed dial codes, enter time/date (this can also be performed using the keypad), print a self-test report, clean a print cartridge, align a print cartridge, test communications, etc.
Another device falling in this category is the Mopier 320, available from Hewlett-Packard Company.
Methods for encoding data on a page are known in the art. See, for example, the following U.S. patents.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,124 to Ogaki et al. (incorporated herein by reference) discloses a method for preparing an instruction sheet, having a predetermined format, for executing an instruction included on the instruction sheet.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,412 to Coons, Jr. et al (incorporated herein by reference) discloses a multi-function document integrator having control indicia on sheets. Machine readable indicia is printed on at least some sheets to control a feeding operation performed by the document integrating device.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,051,779 to Hikawa (incorporated herein by reference) discloses a job control sheet for an image processing system. Selected image processing is executed in accordance with the existence of a special mark or pattern. The job control sheet has sheet detection marks 101a-101d indicating sheet attributes.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,447 to Ojha (incorporated herein by reference) discloses a reproduction apparatus having a scanner, and which produces a control sheet so that future production runs with the same setup configuration can be produced with minimum operator intervention by scanning control sheets and converting indicia thereon to setup information.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,609,283 to Murata et al. (incorporated herein by reference) discloses a copying apparatus with preprogrammed features enabled by a document. The copying apparatus has a control panel that can be enabled for programming of copying functions while displaying them to the user. The user can then store the program in correlation with a specific code indicia. The coded indicia can then be placed on a document and inserted into a copying machine with the code indicia sensed. Upon sensing the code indicia, the prestored copier function program is enabled.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,348 to Rourke et al. (incorporated herein by reference) discloses an electronic reprographic/printing machine with a scanning array. Operation of the machine is controlled in response to control instructions. A control sheet has at least one coded image which when scanned as a document provides control instructions for operating the machine to carry out a preset cycle. The control sheet is associated with the documents to be scanned so that the control sheet is scanned with the documents.
A problem with all of these methods is that a special program on customized apparatus is required on the device. The job control pages are not useful on another device unless the other device has the same program.
The invention provides a method and apparatus wherein a job control sheet includes both program instructions and data required to perform an operation on a device including a printer and scanner in a common housing.
In one aspect of the invention, any function that can be performed by the device can be accessed by the sheet. In a more particular aspect of the invention, the sheet includes machine readable program code. In another aspect of the invention, the sheet accesses a program interface of the device.
In another aspect of the invention, the machine readable program code includes an instruction to check a predetermined location of the sheet for a marking, and, if the marking is present, a predetermined function is performed.
One aspect of the invention provides a multi-function printer device configured for use with job control sheets having machine readable indicia thereon, the multi-function printer device comprising a housing; an imaging area supported by the housing; a scanner supported by the housing to selectively scan at the imaging area; a print engine supported by the same housing; a control keypad supported by the housing; computer network interface hardware supported by the housing and adapted to be coupled to a computer network; and a controller coupled to the scanner, print engine, control keypad and computer network interface hardware and configured to control the print engine, and the scanner to provide a plurality of predefined printing, scanning, and copying functions, the functions including a function to receive a digital document from the computer network via the network interface hardware and to print or more copies, a number of the functions being selectable from the computer network, but only a subset of the number of functions being selectable using the control keypad, the controller being configured to recognize when a job control sheet is scanned at the imaging area and to perform one of the functions in response to the machine readable indicia, wherein any of the number of functions selectable from the computer network can also be specified using a job control sheet.
Another aspect of the invention provides a method of manufacturing a multi-function printer device for use with a job control sheet having machine readable indicia thereon, the method comprising providing a multi-function printer device including a housing, an imaging area supported by the housing, a scanner supported by the housing and configured to selectively scan at the imaging area, a print engine supported by the same housing, a control keypad supported by the housing, computer network interface hardware supported by the housing and adapted to be coupled to a computer network, and a controller coupled to the scanner, print engine, control keypad and network interface hardware, the controller being configured to control the print engine, and the scanner to provide a plurality of predefined printing, scanning, and copying functions, the functions including a function to receive a digital document from the computer network via the network interface hardware and to print one or more copies, a number of the functions being selectable from the computer network, but only a subset of the number of functions being selectable using the control keypad; and configuring the controller to recognize when a job control sheet is scanned at the imaging area and to perform one of the functions in response to the machine readable indicia, wherein any of the number of functions selectable from the computer network can also be specified using a job control sheet.